In recent years, connectors mounted using SMT have gained popularity for interconnecting circuit boards because they easily make electrical connections to elements on the circuit board, they have high packaging contact densities, and other advantages. The connector is electrically connected to the circuit board by soldering a lead end of each of the contacts provided inside a housing of the connector to a pad on a surface of the circuit board. When the circuit board mounted with the connector is used, for example, in an automobile, however, the circuit board is subjected to vibrations, which can cause the connector to become disconnected from the circuit board. In order to securely connect the connector to the circuit board, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 2000-294324 and H8-45579 teach attaching metal fittings having soldering sections to the connector. The soldering sections of the metal fittings are soldered to the pads on the surface of the circuit board to securely connect the connector to the circuit board.
Due to the demand for smaller connectors, it is necessary to minimize the total length of the connector including the soldering section which protrudes from a sidewall of the housing of the connector. However, if the soldering sections of the metal fittings are arranged as close as possible to the housing, in order to minimize the total length of the connector, it becomes difficult to visually inspect whether the soldering sections are soldered to the pad on the circuit board due to the presence of the housing. In addition, due to sudden changes in ambient temperature, for example, in an automobile, the circuit board and the housing of the connector are subject to thermal expansion and contraction. As the circuit board and the housing are respectively formed of different materials, there is a difference in the amount of thermal expansion and contraction between them. In a case where the connector is securely fixed to the circuit board by soldering the metal fittings thereof to the circuit board, the difference in thermal expansion and contraction causes stress on the soldering section of the metal fittings and may eventually disconnect the soldering section from the circuit board. If the soldering section of the connector is removed from the circuit board, it is more likely to be electrically disconnected from the circuit board.